Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

To live is…

 

To live is... Philippians 1

If you have followed my dispatch or my writings, or know me very well, then you know I talk about mindset and perspective a lot. I believe our mindset and perspective is a mission-critical part of our life and will radically impact the trajectory of our life and legacy. As we dive into Philippians, here in chapter 1, we see this in vivid color in Paul's writings. Paul's mindset and perspective are vibrant and something we should take note of and apply to our lives. 

I think this is a great place to start;

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you want to know what has happened to Paul, take some time and turn back to Act chapter 21-28. You will uncover and read about some of the most challenging situations, significant suffering, persecution, and just a flat out beating of a journey. It’s possible that Epictetus, who was born about 50 years after Paul, could have written this thinking about Paul. 

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you respond to it that matters.” - Epictetus

Paul embodies this mindset. We see throughout Paul's life, his ability to think beyond his circumstances. Paul models the growth and abundance of mindset. We can learn so much from this and apply this to our lives today. Seriously as we face uncharted territory with COVID-19, there is scarcity all around us, massive uncertainty. What mindset and perspective are we leveraging and allowing to shape our trajectory? 

“for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul was not questioning why this had happened to him, moaning about it, or seeking a pity party. Paul rose above it and saw that what had happened to him, the circumstances he was walking though would turn out for his deliverance, or rescue. Think about that, Paul’s perspective, what these circumstances were setting him free, that is the meaning of deliverance. How would our lives look, and how would the world around us be different if we looked through that lens. The lens that these situations and circumstances are a necessary process to set us free of materialism and dependence on the things of this world. Radical thinking. 

This all leads us to the centerpiece of Paul's mindset. 

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Just a dozen words, but countless sermons, papers, and books have been written about this. Don’t let this fly by and not work to apply this. To live is Christ. Does this describe my life, does this describe your walk? My daily decisions, impulses, thoughts, and actions, are they Christ? Does the Holy Spirit who lives in me flow out of me freely? If this is true, then to die is gain...the gospel gives us this promise. A powerful mindset and perspective that is entirely shaped by our view of life and life in Christ. I deeply desire this perspective, but I am not sure I have arrived just yet. 

And finally:

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As we process Paul’s words as a mindset and perspective, we should work to embody them and allow them to be our marching orders today. 

Lord, no matter what happens to us today, may we conduct ourselves in a manner that glorifies you. Amen.

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch